What an interesting night of dance! Nearly everyone improved in some way over last week. Some celebs were on, some off. One judge was a bit off, too—and it wasn’t Len. Too many of the pros were stingy on traditional dance content tonight, which ended up being a disservice to their students’ ability to learn a proper dance and to follow through smoothly in their movements. Here’s what happened tonight, in the order in which the contestants appeared:

Actress Rumer Willis:Salsa. Judges’ score 8. My score 8-9.

The positive: Gorgeous body, gorgeous dancer, advanced, athletic, sharp kicks, great lifts. This girl has it all, and she works very hard.

The negative: Like too many other pros this week, the adorable Val did not include enough traditional dance content.

Model Charlotte McKinney:Rumba*. Judges’ score 5-6. My score 5-6.

The positive: The woman has gorgeous legs, she’s incredibly flexible from doing yoga every day, which showed repeatedly in last night’s dance, and she did some parts of her dance well and prettily.

The negative: The dance did not flow; at times it was as disconnected as Charlotte’s lack of focus between her other jobs and her work for this dance. Again, Keo kept the choreography too thin, based on his impressions of what she could do well and on what made her look good and sexy. He’s actually a good choreographer (otherwise, the show wouldn’t have hired him); unfortunately, working with Charlotte didn’t allow us to see enough of what he can do.

Bruno began his evaluation with a highly inappropriate and unrelated insult, something like, “Obviously you’ll never make it in quantum physics, but . . .” (Dude, think before you speak!) Kudos to Charlotte for handling Bruno’s misstep with silent grace.

Football player Michael Sam:Salsa. Judges’ score 6. My score 6.

The positive: Athletic, fun. He tries hard and wants to improve.

The negative: The dance lacked a sufficient amount of traditional salsa content; too many lifts instead of salsa. Michael’s timing often was off. He needs to work on hip movement, flow/smoothness, and musicality for the faster dances.

Musician Ryker Lynch:Salsa. Judges’ score 9. My score 9.

The positive: Had more traditional salsa content than the couples before them. Sharp, fun, fast, energetic, captivating. Very good! Ryker’s in it to win it.

The negative: It’s only week 3, so he needs to keep learning and improving techniques.

Actress Suzanne Somers:Samba. Judges’ score 6. My score 6.

The positive: With a hat of fruit on her head, no less. Turns out that many years ago she did hundreds of live performances wearing it, including down flights of stairs, so she pulled it out for the occasion and did well. Energetic, enthusiastic, clearly fun. Good effort!

The negative: She is 68, so Tony has to be careful to protect her bones in movements that are neither excessive nor ridiculous. Still, though, she’s a health guru and says she’s in great shape. I have to wonder whether she could do more if Tony would challenge her a bit more without causing injury or burnout too early in the season.

“Bachelor” Chris Soules:Argentine Tango. Judges’ score 7. My score 7.

The positive: Very focused! Nice job.

The negative: Should have had more traditional A.T. content and footwork by Chris. Chris needs to work on smoothness, esp. from move to move.

‘Shark’ Robert Herjavec:Rumba*. Judges’ score 7. My score 7.

The positive: This guy is so interesting to watch! I love to see his commitment to each dance and to improving. I love to see the quality of his dance form/posture, moves, that he points his toes. Most of the time he has good, graceful control over his core and his overall form, which is very impressive. If you notice nothing else, look at the quality of his overall position and posture when he’s basically still, simply supporting Kym. Good arm/leg extensions and foot placement. Uncanny connection as a couple!

The negative: Robert must learn to make his arm extensions flow instead of thrusting out his arms as wings of sorts and to rest his hands gracefully in the air instead of spreading his fingers. I’m afraid that his troubles with his back may end up limiting how much he can do. I’m rooting for you, Robert!

Singer Patti LaBelle:Cha-cha. Judges’ score 5-6. My score 5.

The positive: Endlessly fun and, I repeat, gracious attitude. Loved the aqua/white outfits! Patti’s legs appear to be slim and in good shape (through her slacks).

The negative: Does Patti have health problems or physical limitations that we don’t know about? We do know about her diabetes and that she has taken control of her diet/health over the past few years; as a result, she feels much better than she did early in her illness. I have to wonder whether Artem is not challenging her enough with such simple choreography. She’s 70 years ‘old,’ so, yes, certain risks and limitations are built into this situation. But if she has no further physical complaints, let’s get real. Come on: Show us that Patti can actually dance!

Young Actress Willow Shields:Paso Doble! Judges’ score 8. My score 8.

The positive: A Paso, already! Excellent, challenging choreo. Very good for only the third week!

The negative: Although she earned the same score this week as last week, her rumba last week was actually better and smoother than this Paso, in my opinion. What do you think?

The positive: Flexible; good timing, good control, incredible lifts. Stunning choreography, stunning performance! The strength of Noah’s fully-capable mind continues to overshadow, inspire, and challenge his physical limitations, which Noah and Sharna exploit to the fullest with a fascinating combo of athleticism and grace. Sharna’s prowess as an athlete shines all the more with Noah to fill the gaps in his physical abilities. He did more with his limitations than certain others did with everything. The dance of the night!

The negative: Judges said that Nastia’s extreme flexibility in some of her movements pulled her frame a bit beyond what’s required in the dance. I don’t know that I noticed because I was otherwise mesmerized.

WHO WAS ELIMINATED TONIGHT? Charlotte McKinney. As we witnessed in the clip of one of her training sessions with Keo, she didn’t seem to be fully committed to learning to dance and advancing on the show. She was very distracted by her other job responsibilities, and no matter what Keo did he couldn’t get her to focus solely on the dance. Although she cited acting and modeling jobs as being the interferences, the training clip showed her often messing with her phone and she mentioned checking e-mail. If she can’t prioritize her dance, America must have chosen correctly in relieving her of her contract with this show.

STATUS: Again, I rank the true contenders in the following order:

Nastia Liukin

Rumer Willis

3-4. Ryker Lynch, Willow Shields

Robert Herjavec

Do you have a different take on that lineup? Tell us how you view it and why.

I’m writing this through a head-cold-induced NyQuil hangover. Do you disagree with any of my conclusions? Have good points to add? Come on, weigh in with your comments! Gayle, Kurt, Debi, Nick, and the dozens of others who registered to participate in this blog: Where are you? Praise, slam, explain, inspire, or whatever. Let’s get a great conversation going!

Writing has been an important talent and part of my life since I was a child.Professionally, after decades of employment for others, I founded Writestyle in 1996 to provide writing, editing, proofreading, training, and more to clients worldwide (www.writestyle.com).Clients often call my work “magic.”I have written and/or edited for “Coexistence Magazine” (national), for “Ohio Magazine,” and for various newspapers.In addition, I have edited or contributed to the writing of numerous books.Personally, I have written in various genres.I have always composed poetry; as such, I have won awards and publication for some of my poems, and I am compiling a book of my poetry.One of my children’s books is set for publication.With my second husband, family and friends in Ohio, I enjoy music and dance, aid charitable causes, and strive for beauty and harmony in life.

2 Responses to “Dancing With The Stars: Week 3 Analysis”

First of all, I laughed and cheered when busty Charlotte went home! She was not there for the right reasons and displayed a lousy attitude. She really deserved to go home. I sure hope Keo gets a decent partner next season.

I especially noticed last night that I did not care for Peta’s choreography at all with Michael. I could not understand all the lifts that were in the dance. She can be a great choreographer, but sure missed the mark on this one.

I am very much in agreement with you on the real contenders–being Nastia, Rumer, Riker, Willow and Robert. I was surprised about the Paso dance, which happens to be my least favorite dance due to its aggressiveness, that Willow executed quite well. I thought her partner, Mark, looked really strange last night. I’d have to say that he is my least favorite among all the pro dancers…in the past he has done some really wild routines and wears some outrageous outfits.

It really makes me feel good to watch Noah dance, and Sharna is the perfect partner for him. He is so cute and has the most darling dimples. Everything about him is genuine. He is just wonderful.

Vickie, I’d like to add a comment also: Where is everybody???? Do they know how to post a comment on here? Do they know to click on the particular week’s Analysis Headline and that will enable them to leave their reply? I know there are ones who are a whole lot more computer savvy than I am. I recognize all the effort you are putting into this and hope you will start getting responses other than me.

Hi, TJ-Kitty. Thank you for commenting and for the get-well wishes. Actually, I’ve started to feel a bit better. I agree with some of your comments, especially concerning Keo and Noah. I’m sorry that Keo’s been left with a short season again. Like you, I hope that he’ll get a fabulous partner and stay with us for many weeks in the fall season. And Noah–yes, he is absolutely darling and wonderful, and witnessing his dedication and success makes us feel good! As for Mark, I encourage you not to judge too readily but instead to figure out why he is choreographing and dressing in certain ways (think like a psychologist or a detective); listen closely to the music and its message in order to understand his interpretation and how he applies that interpretation. Thank you, too, for reminding our readers how to post their comments here. What do you think will happen next week on the show?

Join the newsletter

We use this field to detect spam bots. If you fill this in, you will be marked as a spammer.

About Me

Professionally, after decades of employment for others, Vickie Weaver founded Writestyle in 1996 to provide writing, editing, proofreading, training, and more to clients worldwide. She has written and/or edited for “Coexistence Magazine” (national), “Ohio Magazine,” and various newspapers. In addition, she has edited or contributed to the writing of numerous books. Personally, she has won awards and publication for some of her poems and is compiling a book of her poetry. She enjoys music and dance, and strives for beauty and harmony in life.